I yelled at my kids in front of their friends a few months ago and it was ugly. Afterwards I realized I hadn't been praying about my parenting at all, just white knuckling it through the day. I've started asking God to help me be patient before I lose it. Not perfect but I'm way more aware now of my reactions. Anyone else had to make changes like this?
Takes a real man to own that and learn from it. I yelled at my daughter in front of her friends once and felt terrible for days. The apology afterward and talking about it actually made our relationship stronger. Sounds like you handled it right.
Yelling in front of their friends hits different than a regular timeout moment. But the fact that you learned something and changed shows your kids what accountability looks like. That's a bigger lesson than being perfect.
This is the kind of parenting moment that actually matters. Kids don't need perfect dads, they need dads who mess up and show them how to fix it. What did you do after you realized what happened?
I yelled at my kids in the grocery store once and I think about it still. But here's what I learned - kids are way more forgiving than we think. The fact that you reflected on it and made changes means everything. That's the real lesson they'll remember.
The hardest part is not beating yourself up about it forever. You messed up, you learned, you're doing better. That's the cycle of being human and a parent.
Man that takes guts to admit. I did something similar in front of my kids' soccer team and felt absolutely terrible about it. The fact that you recognized it and learned from it is what matters. Did you apologize to them? That's what really stuck with me when my oldest said she appreciated the apology more than the yelling stuck with her.
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This is real parenting right here. We all lose it sometimes and the kids at school probably forgot about it by the next day anyway. What matters is how you handle it after which sounds like you did the right way.